Hurricane Calvin (2009)
Calvin was the third named storm and first hurricane of the 2009 Biolixi Ocean hurricane season. Calvin's duration was between June 25 and June 29. Calvin had maximum sustained winds of 90 mph and minimum pressure of 974 mbar. Calvin was a fairly large category 1 hurricane that caused significant damage across the San Francisco Peninsula and the Barrier Peninsula. Calvin formed from a tropical wave northeast of the Biolixi Islands. The wave was designated Tropical Depression Three on June 25, and strengthened into Tropical Storm Calvin during the afternoon hours. Calvin continued its strengthening and was named the first hurricane of the season on June 27. Calvin then entered the San Francisco Gulf and struck the San Francisco Peninsula with 90 mph winds. On June 29, Calvin emerged into the San Francisco Bay and then made a second landfall as a tropical storm near the city of Kentaro. Afterwards, Calvin dissipated over land. Calvin in all caused around 865 million simoleons in damage and caused 17 deaths. Meteorological History On June 22, a tropical wave developed to the northeast of the Biolixi Islands. The wave quickly moved towards the east and began to slowly develop. On June 25, the tropical wave fully developed into Tropical Depression Three to the southwest of the San Francisco Gulf. Due to the favorable conditions provided, Three strengthened into Tropical Storm Calvin during the same day. On June 26, Calvin entered the San Francisco Gulf just a couple hundred miles off the coast of the southern Gulf coast. Calvin soon was a strong tropical storm and then strengthened into a category 1 hurricane on June 27. Hurricane Warnings and Watches were issued all along the San Francisco Peninsula. Due to Calvin only being a category 1 hurricane, many people along the coast ignored the warning is it drew closer. On June 28, Calvin gained its peak intensity of 90 mph and minimum pressure of 974 mbar. During the same day, Calvin weakened slightly, and made landfall near the city of Tree Beach with 85 mph winds. Calvin caused severe damage to the northern half of the the peninsula due to its very large size. Severe wind damage and catastrophic flooding was reported in the area as Calvin crossed the peninsula as a category 1 hurricane. On June 29, Calvin emerged into the San Francisco Bay and slightly strengthened and then made a second landfall near the city of Kentaro. Even more wind and flooding damage was reported as Calvin made landfall and then rapidly weakened. During the evening hours of June 29, Calvin continued to weaken as a tropical storm over land. Calvin weakened into a tropical depression for only two hours, and then completely dissipated far inland. Calvin caused around 865 million simoleons in damage and caused 17 deaths. Preparation and Impact San Francisco Due to the very large size of Calvin and the possibility of rapid intensification, San Francisco was advised to prepare for the worst of what Calvin could bring. Sandbags and other protection items were used across the San Francisco Peninsula to help shelter the area from Calvin. When Calvin made landfall with 90 mph winds near the city of Tree Beach, the system's storm surge was measured at 8 feet in height. This caused many low lying areas to flood. With the strong winds and heavy rain, many coastal and exposed areas experienced heavy damage from the storm. Only some light impacts were felt when Calvin made landfall near Kentaro as a tropical storm. In the end, Calvin caused around 865 million simoleons in damage and caused 17 deaths. See also *2009 Biolixi Ocean hurricane season *Tropical Storm Ivory (2010) Category:Storms Category:Category 1 Hurricane